DNS records are the instructions that tell the internet where your domain’s website, email, and services live — and on Hostinger you edit them in hPanel under Domains → DNS / Nameservers → DNS records (select your domain first if you manage several). The records you will touch most are A (points the domain at a server IP), CNAME (points a name at another name), MX (routes email), and TXT (verification strings and email security). Changes usually go live within a few hours, occasionally up to 24.
Where to find the DNS zone editor in hPanel
Log in to hPanel and go to Domains in the left sidebar, then DNS / Nameservers, and choose the domain you want to edit. You will see the DNS records tab listing every record currently published for that domain, plus an Add record button. Each record has an edit (pencil) and delete (trash) icon — edits apply as soon as you save, though the world may take hours to notice (propagation, covered below).
Important precondition: you can only edit a domain’s DNS in hPanel if the domain’s nameservers point to Hostinger (ns1.dns-parking.com / ns2.dns-parking.com). If the nameservers point elsewhere — Cloudflare, your registrar, another host — then Hostinger’s zone editor is not authoritative and your edits there will do nothing. In that case, edit the records wherever the nameservers point instead.
A records — pointing names at server IPs
An A record maps a hostname directly to an IPv4 address. It is the workhorse of DNS: the record that makes your domain actually load a website. A typical zone has two of them:
- Host: @ Type: A Points to: your server IP — this is the root domain (example.com).
- Host: www Type: A Points to: the same server IP — this is www.example.com.
(In hPanel’s editor, “@” means the bare domain itself.) Your Hostinger server IP is shown in hPanel under Hosting → Plan details. You would change an A record when moving a site to a new server, pointing a domain at a VPS, or connecting a domain while keeping DNS at your current provider.
AAAA records — the IPv6 version
AAAA records do exactly what A records do, but for IPv6 addresses. Most small sites never need to touch these — Hostinger manages IPv6 where it matters — but if a service specifically asks you to add an IPv6 address, this is the record type it means. Do not delete existing AAAA records unless you know why they are there.
CNAME records — aliasing one name to another
A CNAME points a hostname at another hostname rather than an IP address. Common uses: pointing www at the root domain, connecting a subdomain to an external service (shop.example.com → a store platform), or verifying domain ownership with Google and Microsoft 365. Two rules that trip people up: a CNAME cannot be used on the root domain itself (use an A record for @), and a hostname with a CNAME cannot have any other record types alongside it.
MX records — routing your email
MX records tell the internet which servers handle email for your domain. If you use Hostinger’s email hosting, hPanel sets these automatically when you create a mailbox — you should see entries pointing at Hostinger’s mail servers with a priority value (lower number = tried first). If you use Gmail/Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or another provider, you replace the MX records with the ones that provider gives you, and you remove Hostinger’s — leftover MX records from two providers cause mail to vanish into whichever server answers first.
Email changes deserve extra care because mistakes are silent: a wrong MX record does not show an error page, your mail just stops arriving. After changing MX records, send yourself a test email from an outside account (not from the same domain) and confirm it lands.
TXT records — verification and email security
TXT records hold free-form text that other services read. You will meet them in three situations:
- Domain verification: Google Search Console, Microsoft 365, and similar services ask you to add a TXT record with a unique string to prove you own the domain.
- SPF: a TXT record starting with
v=spf1that lists which servers may send email as your domain — the main defense against your address being spoofed for spam. - DKIM and DMARC: DKIM is a TXT record under a selector hostname (like
default._domainkey) holding a public key that signs your outgoing mail; DMARC is a TXT record under_dmarctelling receivers what to do with mail that fails SPF/DKIM. Hostinger’s email setup adds SPF and DKIM for you; add a DMARC record yourself for the full set.
TXT values must be pasted exactly — a single missing character breaks verification. Copy from the service’s dashboard, paste into hPanel, and do not add extra quotes unless the instructions say so.
NS records — which DNS hosts the zone
NS records declare which nameservers are authoritative for the domain. You will almost never edit these inside the zone editor — nameservers are changed at your registrar, not in the DNS zone. If you see NS records in hPanel’s editor, leave them alone unless you are doing something advanced and understand the consequences: wrong NS records can make the entire domain unresolvable.
SRV records — service discovery
SRV records point specific services (not websites) at servers with a port number — used by things like SIP/VoIP, XMPP chat, and some game or autodiscover services. Format is service.protocol.name with priority, weight, port, and target fields. If no service has asked you for an SRV record, you do not need one.
TTL: how long changes take
Every record has a TTL (time to live) — how long DNS resolvers cache the old value before checking for a new one. Hostinger’s default (often 14400 seconds = 4 hours) is fine for stable setups. Two practical rules:
- Before a planned move (changing hosts, switching email providers), lower the TTL to 300 seconds (5 minutes) at least a day in advance, so the old cached value expires quickly when you flip the switch. Raise it back afterward to reduce DNS lookup load.
- After you save a change, you cannot speed up propagation — resolvers that cached the old value will keep serving it until the old TTL expires. This is why changes “take a few hours”: it is other people’s caches, not Hostinger being slow.
Check progress with a propagation tool like whatsmydns.net: enter your domain, pick the record type, and watch the new value spread across locations.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Editing DNS in the wrong place: changes in hPanel do nothing if nameservers point elsewhere. Always confirm where the nameservers point first.
- Two A records fighting: an old A record left behind after a move means half your visitors reach the old server. Delete stale records.
- CNAME on the root domain: not allowed by DNS standards — use an A record (or ALIAS/ANAME if your DNS host offers it) for @.
- Deleting MX records “to clean up”: no MX records means no incoming email, silently.
- Trailing dots and typos in targets: most editors handle the trailing dot for you; a typo in an IP or hostname breaks the record with no error message.
FAQ
Where do I edit DNS records on Hostinger?
In hPanel: Domains → DNS / Nameservers → select your domain → DNS records tab. This only works if the domain’s nameservers point to Hostinger.
How long do Hostinger DNS changes take?
The change saves instantly in hPanel, but worldwide propagation takes a few hours in most cases and up to 24 hours, depending on the old TTL and resolver caching. Lower the TTL a day before planned changes to shorten the wait.
What is the difference between an A record and a CNAME?
An A record points a hostname at an IP address; a CNAME points a hostname at another hostname. Use A for the root domain and when you know the server IP; use CNAME for subdomains aliasing external services.
Will changing DNS records take my site down?
Only if you change or delete the records the site depends on (A/CNAME for the domain). Adding records — a new subdomain, a TXT verification string — never affects existing ones. When in doubt, screenshot the zone before editing so you can restore it.
Next steps
DNS records are the machinery behind connecting domains: our domain connection guide walks through pointing a whole domain at Hostinger step by step, and the Hostinger domains guide covers registration and renewals. If email is what you are setting up, read connecting Hostinger email to Gmail after your MX records are in place.